My reading the last month has included a number of texts published this year (2015), including
- (5) Religion in the Oval Office: The Religious Lives of American Presidents by Gary Scott Smith (Oxford University Press)
- (5) Contemporary Churches: Spiritual Transformation of Congregations by Louis F. Kavar (Louis F. Kavar)
- (4.5) My Church is NOT Dying: Episcopalians in the 21st Century by Greg Garrett (Morehouse Publishing)
- (4) Walking with Jesus: A Way Forward for the Church by Pope Francis (Loyola Press)
- (4) Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers by Michael G. Long (Westminster John Knox Press)
- (3) Find the Good: Unexpected Lessons from a Small-Town Obituary Writer by Heather Lende (Algonquin Books)
- (3) 10 Prescriptions for a Healthy Church by Bob Farr and Kay Kotan (Abingdon Press)
So What?
While I don’t read many self-published volumes, I was impressed by Louis F. Kavar’s new book on congregational redevelopment and change management. Kavar is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a professor of psychology. Contemporary Churches is faithful to its intended purpose: “What makes this book on congregational revitalization different from many others is its focus on the way American culture has changed while the church, as an institution, has remained the same” (Loc. 173). The old ways of being and doing church are dying (more rapidly in some contexts than others) and the new possibilities are endless. Pastors and lay leaders will benefit from the numerous and diverse examples of how some congregations are living into a future that is healthy and vibrant in ways that differ dramatically from what they found helpful in prior years and decades.
Share one book you appreciate that is self-published or has received limited publicity.